Coughton Court

Thank goodness the forecasters got it wrong. They said it would be horrid in the morning but clearing later.

We decided to go to Coughton Court and as it wasn't pouring when we arrived, we headed off into the garden. It was never sunny - but the overcast and slight dampness of the air just added to the feeling of autumn messiness.

The garden is marvellously maintained and just now everything is straggly and ready to be sorted for winter. One young volunteer was dragging lots of stripped clematis along (and a visitor smiled and told him he'd missed a bit). Just enough of the blooms are defiant and gorgeous - and the vines in the Vegetable Garden formed a frame for the still gaudy dahlias.

The bog garden is always worth a visit - a bit slippery but well worth the wander.

It still wasn't raining (and we hadn't even stopped for a coffee just in case we wasted the dryness) so we sat by the lake and looked across.

Sheer magic - and I chose this photo to try and capture that very English mid autumn feeling.

We went into both the churches - still dry(ish) and finally headed off for sausage and mash.

At which point it poured :-)